


What A Joke

by Loki_Odinsonn



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Building of strange Teenage Armies, Drug Abuse, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulation, Probably bad parenting, Some pretty graphic stuff but only in the first chapter really, Suicide, Violence, courtesy of the Joker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:56:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3092021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loki_Odinsonn/pseuds/Loki_Odinsonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Jason Todd was just a tad sneakier with those tyres and Batman probably had to walk home. The Joker's building an army of teenagers because he can, and when he's not being a psycho, he's actually a pretty decent father figure.  When Jason's mother dies, he decides to join the Joker.<br/>Rating may go up later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I want that boy

**Author's Note:**

> So this is hopefully going to be a multi chaptered thing, updated regularly. No solid outcome apart from a few ideas yet so feel free to pitch in with any ideas, I'd love to hear anything you guys have to say. Yeah yeah, I know Jason's moms name is Catherine but I don't like that so it's Sylvia, get over it.

  
Jason walked away triumphantly. It wasn’t every day that you stole the tyres off the goddamn Batmobile after all. Okay 2 tyres. But still. 2 tyres from the batmobile could get him what? $1000 each, if he was lucky. If he really advertised them to the right gullible buyer. Yes. This was good. Jason’s mom had spent the last of their week’s welfare cheque. She wouldn’t tell him what she spent it on. Jason didn’t need to ask anymore. Sylvia Todd was rarely ever not high. And even when she was, sobriety most definitely didn’t make her any more bearable to be around. Though smart and soft and kind once upon a time, the years of being a poor single mother had taken their toll.

And Sylvia Todd had long ago opted out of her life, choosing instead to lie around all day. Quietly, rarely bothering anyone except for her routine rounds for whatever drug she had her head wrapped around that day. Sylvia Todd wasn’t waiting for death, it had been and gone and only taken any hope she’d had to live.

Jason shook his head free of his barely alive corpse of a mother. He would make sure she didn’t find this wad of cash. When she cried and wept and clawed at her face from withdrawal, hands shaking and face sweating, screaming out in despair and rage for anything to dull the aches and pains that came with life, he would not relent this time. He would be strong. Thompson wouldn’t be getting a single cent from Jason’s hard earned money anymore. This time, he would keep it for himself, his future.

As it turns out, the man he usually sold his tyres to, Grimp, everyone in the back streets called him, would only give him $700 for them both.

“Come on Grimp, I’m not an idiot. These are _Bat_ tires. Do you even _know_ how much these are worth?” Jason pressed, insistently.

“To me, kid, I say they’re $700 so they’re $700. Take it or get lost.” He muttered gruffly.

“Do you know how much I could get for these from someone else-”

“Then fucking go to someone else Jason, its $700 or you fuck right off, right now.” He snapped.

“You don’t understand Grimp. I _need_ this money. They’re fucking _Bat tyres_ when are you ever going to see these again in your damn life??” He was angry now. It had taken him 2 hours of bleeding fingers and constant anxiety of the Batman finding him to remove those tyres. Even with his tools they’d been a bitch to pull off. Grimp opened his mouth to speak and was cut off entirely by a smooth voice to his left, in the shadows.

“Oho. Oho. What is this? Let me see. Is it. No. It can’t be. It _cant_ be.” The Joker stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the tyres that were on the ground of the garage. He wandered over, gun casually in hand and one purple leather hand reaches out to stroke the tyre. Jason is alarmed when he leans forward, knees almost on the ground and takes a huge sniff. He looks up slowly from his position at Jason.

“Can you smell that? Can you smell all the justice boy?” He deadpans. Jason is completely lost for words. The Joker has been the talk of the back streets for a while now. But meeting him up close, with his ragged scarred face and sweaty smeared makeup, is nothing at all like Jason would have expected. The Joker laughs out loud, a quick bark before his face sets again and he stands and turns to Grimp. Grimp looks as though he’s close to wetting himself and Jason almost rolls his eyes. Truly a knight in shining armour.

“Get. Out.” He sounds bored as he commands Grimp, as though he's interrupted something private between him and Jason.  Jason takes note of the fact that Grimp has just fled his own shop. The joker fires a shot at his leg that misses and Jason hears a strangled sound from Grimp as he runs as fast as his short stubby legs will take him. When the Joker turns around to face him again, he’s grinning. Not the maniacal grin that Jason had heard about, softer perhaps. More intrigued than insane. He points his finger at the tyre.

“How?”

 Jason shrugs.

“I got lucky I guess.” He hates that his voice shakes slightly. 14 years old is too young to be afraid of anything the streets can conjure up anymore. The Joker nods thoughtfully and scratches his chin with the tip of the gun.

“I like a man who doesn’t reveal his secrets.” He informs Jason seriously and Jason tries hard to repress the pride of being called a man. If the Joker picks up on the way Jason holds himself a little higher, he certainly doesn’t let on.

“You just going to stand there gaping like a fish?” The Joker slaps his own cheeks with his free hand and the other with his gun in a poor imitation of what’s supposed to be a fish. He lunges forward suddenly to heave up one of the huge tyres that Jason had to roll because they were so heavy. He’s holding it next to his head so all Jason can see is his purple suit and his cheeks squashed next to the monstrous tyre. The picture is ridiculously comical.  
  
“Does it make my head look big?” He asks Jason, eyes rolling sideways as he tries to look at the tyre. Jason snorts. The Joker looks back at him. “It does huh?”  He smirks slowly before setting it back down on the ground.

His tongue darts out and Jason is disgusted as he licks the side of the tyre with his eyes closed, his makeup smudging off, starkly white against the darkness of Batman’s tyres. When he stands up again, he makes a show of brushing dust off his suit while eyeing Jason, up and down. Jason looks right back and tries not to falter.

“Taste good?” He says, mockingly.

“Like my dead fathers corpse.” He replies easily.

 Jason is sickened at the reply and then he remembers what he came for.

“You going to pay the price for those or what?” Jason licks his dry lips, tense and nervous.

“The price? Why would I pay a price?” Jason doesn’t tremble. He _doesn't_.

“You licked it man, now you have to buy it.” The Joker grins. That’s the manic grin Jason had been told about. That’s the pyscho who goes creeping around in the shadows with his purple suit.  
  
“ _And if I lick you. Do I ah get to buy you too_?” Jason flares up, rage consuming him as he jolts forward pointing his finger madly at the joker.

“Fuck you. I don’t do that nasty shit. You’re sick. You’re so- so sick.” Flushed with anger he turns to leave and sees the tyres. He’d worked so hard to rip those fucking things off. Just for some psycho wannabe clown to take them from him. Tears stung in his eyes and he was even more enraged.

“Ah don’t be like that.” The Joker's hand came to rest on his shoulder and he shoved it off.

‘Fuck off. Take them. Just take them I don’t care.” He turned to leave again when the Joker's voice rang out again and Jason was so furious he could have hit him.

“Didn't you want payment for these?” He says lazily. And that stops Jason in his tracks. Money. This psychopath was going to give him money. He turned around cautiously, staying silent. The Joker has a wad of cash. It looks like it’s more than $700 and Jason eyes it like a hungry wolf but doesn't move to take it. The Joker waves it in front of his face.

‘These little scraps of paper control your every move don’t they boy?” He says unnervingly. Jason thinks briefly about biting his hand through sheer annoyance. And also because it’s true.

“ _If you want it. You better come and get it_.” He sings slyly. Jason takes one step forward and reaches for the money. The Joker yanks him by his shirt close to his face. The yellow teeth and bright red grin is terrifying up close and Jason is stricken.  
  
“I got a proposition for you.”  He whispers.  
  
“If it involves your cock you can fuck off right now.” He spits back, infuriated by the Jokers intrusive actions. The Joker doesn't smile or grin.  
  
“You want a job boy?” He asks brusquely.  
  
“A what?” Jason says, forgetting to be angry. The joker rolls his eyes impatiently and shakes him slightly.  
  
“A Job. **J.O.B**. Shall I get you a dictionary so you can look it up eh?” He says loudly and Jason is wondering just how he can jump from humor to impatience so quickly.  
  
“I- I can’t.” The Jokers eyes pop out and Jason rushes on to explain. “I can’t, I live with my mom and she-”  
  
“ _bla bla bla mommy mommy bla bla bla.”_ He says mimicking Jason’s voice in a high tone. He lets go of him finally, and Jason is holding the money in his hand tightly. The Joker sighs theatrically and looks at Jason, who’s dropped so violently he sits on the floor.

“I tell you what. You find yourself in a situation where you ah,” He smack his lips together. “Might need a job,” He tosses him a Joker card, from a deck of cards with an address scrawled on it. “You go there Jason Todd.” He demands.

 Jason nods quickly and scrambles to stand up. He looks at the Joker who raises his eyebrows and tilts his head towards the door. And that’s all Jason needs before he’s running out of the garage. He remembers Grimp almost being shot at and runs faster. No gunshot comes.  
  
The Joker watched amused as Jason ran. Yes, this boy he would have.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jason ran the whole home, looking behind him constantly. When he reached his mother’s flat, he stood outside panting until he calmed down. He glanced to the hallway to check it was empty and started to count the bills.

It was $3000. The Joker had given him $3000. Jason clutched it to his heart, hardly daring to believe it. He stuffed it into his jean pockets and took a deep breath, then walked into his house. Sylvia Todd was asleep on the battered red sofa and Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He shut the door quietly and walked to his room.

“Jason?” Her hoarse voice made Jason turn around immediately, surprised.  
  
“Yeah, mom?” He managed. He felt hot and sweaty, as though she had X-ray vision and could surely see the money in his jeans pocket. Sylvia smiled at Jason, a wan tired smile.

“Get some sleep sweetheart.’ She slurred and Jason nodded tightly. He turned around and went.

In the end, he hid it underneath his wardrobe, slotted right underneath the wood where he hoped she wouldn't find it. He fell asleep instantly with no time to think about the day’s events. Jason Todd was dead to the world; too exhausted to keep his eyes open a second longer.

 

* * *

 

  
“I don’t get it Jay, if she’s just some loony toon like you say she is why do I have to kill her hmm?” Harley asked petulantly.  
  
  
“Stop doing that.”  
  
  
“Doing what Jay?” Harley asked.  
  
  
“Speaking.” The Joker replied curtly. Harley frowned. She was lying on her back on the Joker's bed looking up at the ceiling. He had given her her latest order. And she wasn’t happy about it one little bit. The Joker was always sending her away, one thing after another. She just wanted to be with him instead of fulfilling all his duties. And oh he told her it was a GREAT honor and oh how INTELLIGENT Harley was, but apparently not intelligent enough to keep around for more than an hour.  
  
  
“I suppose you’d better get to it.” He dismissed her; he was studying a piece of paper with a picture on it. Harley sulked and stood up, making sure to throw him filthy looks at his back.  
  
  
“Oh and Harley?” She turned around. “Thank you, _angel_.” He said silkily looking her dead in the eyes. Harley’s heart melted, how sweet and kind The Joker was to her. She was his _angel_ don’t you know?

“Anything I can do for you Jay.” She saluted and shut the door, heading out of the tunnels, a woman on a mission. She would kill this woman as soon as possible and be done with it, and then she could come back to him.

And maybe ask for a week off.  


* * *

 

  
“Here.” Dick said warmly as handed the warm cup of hot chocolate to Jason.  
  
  
“Thanks.” Jason muttered as he fidgeted in the booth of the coffee shop like he always did when he and Dick went on their little…not dates. He watched Dick eat a slice of cake and grin at him with a mouthful of crumbs. Jason was reminded of the Jokers grin and looked away sharply.  
  
  
“Hey, you okay?” Dick asked, his cake muffling his words slightly. Jason nodded at the wall. Dick pushed his plate forward and Jason ate the rest of his cake, as was their tradition. The waitress passed them with a suspicious look at Jason and his cake. Jason stared at his plate; he knew they must remember him. He had tried to steal a Jam Tart when the woman had gone in the backroom, something he’d always been good at until one day a few months back, when a customer, stupid rich bitch, decided to snitch on him. Jason had immediately tried to make a run for it but he was stopped by a voice next to him.

“It’s okay I’ll pay.” Dick had said, smiling kindly at Jason. Jason sneered at him, looking at his thick warm wool coat and polished shoes.

“Fuck off rich boy, I don’t need your help.” Dick didn’t seem upset at all.  
  
“You’d rather go to prison then?” He said cheerfully. Jason was 14. He wouldn’t go to prison. He’d go to fucking Juvie.

He shrugged his shoulders and Dick gave the money to the woman at the counter who looked at Jason like he was the lowest scum of the earth, and in that moment, he felt like it.

“Come and sit with me?” He asked, still jovial and he sounded like he so genuinely wanted to talk to Jason. Jason followed him, mostly eyeing that Jam tart in Dick’s hand. As soon as they had sat down and Dick had placed the tart in front of Jason, he wolfed it down. He’d neither stolen nor sold any tires that week. Food in the house was scarce and he couldn't even find a dollar in his room. Dick was careful not to stare outright at Jason, not wanting him to be put off.

“You’ve done your charitable act of the day now rich boy, feel good does it?” He smirked.

“Are you still hungry?” Dick asked, carefully. Jason shrugged.  
  
  
“Do you want a sandwich or something?” He asked again lightly.  
  
  
“ _Fuck off_.” Jason hissed. “Just fuck off yeah? I don’t need or want your charity.” He hissed and stood up.  
  
  
“Don’t, please don’t go.” Dicks hand closed around Jason’s. “Just sit down for a minute? Please?” he pleaded. And Jason sat down, staring wearily all the time at Dick.

“I’ll be back in just a second okay.” Jason nodded to him and Dick left. Jason shot stormy looks at everyone on the neighboring tables, face still red with embarrassment. When Dick returned it was indeed with a sandwich that he put on the table.  
  
  
“Want to share?” He asked tentatively, trying to gouge Jason’s reaction. Jason pulled it to himself and opened it.

“I don’t think so, get your own damn sandwich.” Dick laughed heartily and did just that and Jason felt more at ease than he had for months. They had exchanged names, Jason was tempted to give Dick something like ‘Pablo’ but went with his real name in the end. When they’d finished and Jason told Dick he had to go, Dick had asked to see him again. And so it began every week that they would meet in the crowded coffee shop and talk about random things. Dick talked animatedly about his own life, he lived with Bruce Wayne in Wayne manor. And cautiously, slowly, Jason had begun to tell Dick parts of his own life too.

“You still alive in there Jason? Surely that walls not anywhere near as beautiful as my face.” Dick teased. Jason rolled his eyes at him and Dick stopped.

“Jason?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” Dick said quietly. Jason leaned closer.

“I had a…a run in yesterday with a guy.” Dick looked alarmed and opened his mouth.

“Shut up Grayson, I’m fine. It’s just…it was weird alright?” He murmured tensely. Dick still looked concerned.

“Weird how, why was it weird Jason?” He pressed, looking at Jason intently, studying him.

“It was just...I don’t know. He was a strange guy. I've never met anyone like that.” He shivered. Dick looked at Jason.

“Did he…” He gestured about with his hand awkwardly. “You know, you can tell me if he-” Jason’s eyes widened.

“Gods no Dick. It wasn't anything like that I swear. It really wasn't!” His cheeks were utterly red and Dick looked relieved.

“You’re not hurt though yeah?” Dick asked worriedly, placing his hand over Jason’s. Jason stared at it for a second before he cleared his throat and looked up.

“No. Honestly, I’m fine just stop worrying. Let’s just talk about something else.” He snapped sullenly. Dick nodded his assent; he knew when to stop pushing. The rest of the time passed uneventfully and when the time came to leave and Jason said goodbye, Dick wrapped him up in a fierce embrace.

“Be safe alright Jason? Promise you’ll call if you need to. Anything at all Jason I mean it.” Jason nodded, still embarrassed by Dicks spontaneous hug and slumped off towards home. He had Dick’s number in his bedside drawer but didn't have the heart to tell him that he had no phone. He walked back home trying not to read into Dick’s hug too much, he was 2 years older than Jason, what use would he have for him?

Jason opened the door to the flat and froze. His mother was lying on the floor, motionless. He ran to her. There were pill bottles everywhere and scattered pills all over the table and the floor too. Alcohol bottles, empty and half full littered the table too. Cigarette butts were burned out on the table, the ashtray was overflowing. Everything was chaos.

And there was no pulse.

No pulse.

Jason staggered back in shock, panting wildly.

“Mom?” He whispered horror struck. He shook her arm. “Mom!” No. Pulse.  
  
  
“MOM?” He shouted. No movement. No pulse. No mom. He sank down with his head on the table. “Please, please momma please.” He choked. He checked again. No pulse.

“FUCK. Fuck fuck fuck no. No mom. No. Why?” He held his head between his hands and sobbed heavily. It felt like he sat there for hours staring at her, thinking she might wake up with a wan smile and a few kind words. But there was no more warmth in Sylvia Todd and she had left this world for good.

He knew what would happen; social services would come and take him away. Put him in a foster home, an orphanage. And Jason wouldn’t live like that. He looked at his mother and in that moment he hated her. He hated that her last actions on earth had left him stranded. Bitter, hateful tears fell down his face as he sat on the floor and wept, grief slashing against him like a million knives. He was lost. Alone and hopeless.

 The money.

 Jason jolted up and ran to his room. He dropped to his knees and ran his hand under the wardrobe.

“No, no, God please no.” Jason moved the wardrobe out of the way, threw his clothes out and searched inside it. It was gone. Jason punched the wardrobe and then recoiled at the pain in his hand and shooting up his wrist. Why was everything so god damn cruel. He felt all cried out and utterly empty. For a long time Jason just set next to the wardrobe and felt nothing. Nothing for his mother or his father, wherever he might be. Nothing for life.

He stood up a long while later, resigned to his fate. He would have to leave, before anyone found out. He would have to just up and go. Jason rummaged through his drawer until he found Dick’s number. He had taken $20 with him to meet dick. He could find a payphone, call him…and say what? Hi Dick my mom killed herself and I need to live with you because you’re my only friend. No. Of course not. That was fucking ridiculous.

His eyes fell then on the Joker card he’d left on his bedside table. Fine. He needed a job. He would go. He packed the bare essentials that he needed and Dick's phone number, just in case. When he was done, he closed the door to his room and he looked at his mother. Lying there, her face almost looked peaceful and Jason felt another stab of envy. His eyes wandered to those bottles of pills and the alcohol and he wandered just how much his mother had taken. Shaking his head, he looked at her, pressed a kiss onto her forehead and brushed her cheek one last time. Then he left, shut the door, and didn't look back.

He held onto that Joker card as though it was his lifeline and refused to let himself cry. He would be strong. He would face this psychopathic clown and his psychopathic job offer with a cool head. It took him an hour’s walk to get to the address. Jason rapped on the doors of an apparently abandoned building. And they opened.

 


	2. Welcome to the Post Office kid

 

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Jason Todd.”

“How did you find this place?”

“Someone told me about it.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“The Joker.”  
  
“Bullshit.”

Jason tossed the Joker card he’d been given by the man himself to the grubby short man in front of him.

 

* * *

 

When he’d knocked on the door earlier he could hear the sliding of heavy bolts.

“What you want?” A shy voice asked. One of the rusting double doors was cracked open slightly to reveal a small boy, no older than 7, peering at him. He had messy black hair and Jason thought he looked very clean in contrast with the dingy falling apart building. Before he could reply there was another voice behind him.

“For God’s sake Tim, this isn’t a sleepover, stop opening the door.” A firm voice commanded. Not the Joker, Jason thought, but male. Tim rolled his eyes.

“Someone knocked though!” He said, annoyed and the door was pushed fully open.

“This buildings abandoned.” The boy said airily. He looked older and taller than Jason, with light brown hair and dirty clothes.

“Oh yes I can see that.” Jason said sarcastically, he felt utterly exhausted, he’d been walking for hours to be greeted by a pompous dick and a munchkin and he wanted to sleep so badly.

“Well?” Said the boy, looking at him expectantly. “Get lost then.” Jason was at a loss and opened his mouth to be cut off once again by a voice behind the two boys.

“What the fuck are you two doing out here? Where do you think you’re going?” He caught sight of Jason. “Who the fuck is that?” And then the short fat man had shoved both boys out of the way to question Jason further.

 

* * *

 

“I suppose you’d better come with me then.” He muttered begrudgingly looking at the card once more before sidestepping so Jason could step into the house. The two boys, Tim and Pompous dick, moved out of his way and then exited out of the door. The short man bolted it behind them. Jason looked around at the big empty space. There was something that looked like a very dusty bar but everything else was empty. It was huge, dusty, dank and dark. A few broken shutters let out a few splinters of light and mice scurried around if you strained your ears. The short man, one of the Jokers henchmen no doubt, walked over to the desk and around it, Jason followed and watched as he opened what looked like a cellar door and started to descend the ladders there. Jason took one more look at the dark and empty room before following the man down the ladders and into a sort of tunnel. They walked for about 2 minutes before they came to 3 different tunnels to follow. The Jokers henchman carried on straight and Jason wondered curiously about where the others led.

Jason’s feet were blistered. He was sweating nervously and he felt tired and shaky. He kept seeing his mother lying dead on that floor behind his eyes and he clenched his teeth and willed himself to move on.

“What does he think he is anyway? Some kind of puppy hoarder?”  The man muttered underneath his breath. Jason wondered who the hell he was talking about and tried to imagine the Joker with an abundance of puppies, he snorted to himself and the fat man shot him a filthy look before stopping, they had finally, thank fuck, reached where Jason supposed the Joker resided. The man knocked and a feminine voice told them to enter.

Jason waited for the man to open the door. He didn’t. Jason looked between him and the door. The man sniggered at him cruelly.

“Your funeral kid.” And with that he walked away the way he’d come. Jason stared at the door. It was wrenched open abruptly.

“I _just_ said to come- oh. Hello sugar.” A chirpy woman was standing in the door way. Jason recognized her, she called herself Harley Quinn, and she was the Jokers…? Sidekick? Jason realized she wore only a green silk dressing gown, her pale legs on show, and he blushed and looked away. The Joker was there then. He pushed Harley effortlessly to the side so he could see for himself who it was.

His eyes flashed with recognition and he looked Jason up and down.

"Can I help you, ahh beautiful?" The Joker grinned at Jason, eyes shining maniacally. Jason rolled his eyes

"You said...if I...if I needed a place." Jason mumbled, suddenly embarrassed, what had he expected from coming here? From coming to Gotham’s craziest man, Batman's arch nemesis. Suddenly Jason felt very small and very stupid. What if the Joker was pimping these boys out? Jason shivered; he vowed he would never go back to that again.

"Come back to me princess, you still in there?" The Joker was right up in his face, Jason could feel his warm breath on his face and he moved away. What was it with the clown and his obsession with putting his face obscenely close to other peoples? It was disconcerting.  


“You said you had a job proposition for me didn’t you?” Jason looked up at him fiercely. The Joker grinned even wider.

“Did I now?” He inquired. Jason had had just about enough.

“Do you have one for me or f-fucking not?” He snapped, voice breaking halfway through. His feet hurt, his whole body ached and his head throbbed insistently. He felt like he’d been consumed by fire. He swallowed and his throat was dry and raw. The day’s events caught up with Jason and he finally gave in, letting the exhaustion he’d felt for hours win, everything went black and he dropped like a rag doll.

 

* * *

 

He had an odd dream that night. He was wrapped up in blankets and something warm was next to him.  He reached his hand out to grip it closer and shuffled his body to seek more contact with this mysterious source of heat.

And _oh god_ someone was stroking his hair. And wasn’t that just the most calming thing. Jason didn’t think his mom had ever stroked his hair like this before. The touch was tender and idle, soothing in a way Jason Todd had never known he could feel.

 _“…think he just needs to rest puddin’…”_ Someone was saying. A female voice? His mother it had to be. But she sounded younger, sweeter somehow. She sounded far away. Those fingers stroked lower, down to his neck going up and down continuously.  Another voice spoke, deeper and closer to him but Jason had already leaned back into that gentle touch and gave the world around him no more thought.

 

* * *

 

He woke up to Harleys singing. She was singing some song on the radio in the bathroom and Jason woke up incredibly disorientated. He was used to waking up in silence and alone. He felt so embarrassed. He was in the Jokers bed and had apparently slept just fine in there too. He remember something about being warm-

The bathroom door opened and Harley stepped out. She looked at him and smiled cheerfully.

"Oh you're awake." Harley stood at the bathroom entrance clad in only a towel and Jason looked away once again flustered by her blatant openness and Harley laughed at him.

"How sweet you are sugar." She chuckled.  
  
“Feeling better honey?” She questioned as she combed her hair through and looked at him curiously. Jason nodded distractedly. Harley sure did have a sweet disposition and Jason could see the appeal that the Joker found in those sensuous curves and pretty blonde hair.

Jason wondered where the Joker actually was. He couldn't believe he'd fainted last night. He might have blown any chance he had of working here. He had a sudden fierce urge to see Dick and crushed it quickly. Dick couldn't always save him when he was in trouble, Jason would have to save himself. He stood up, smoothing out his faded creased hoodie and looked at Harley.

"I guess I'll be going then." He informed her.

"Going where honey?" She asked smoothly. Where was Jason going?

"Just get out of your hair I guess." He mumbled awkwardly.

"You don't know where anything is yet; you don't even know where you're sleeping." She said cocking her hair at him and grinning.

"I can stay then?" He asked frowning at Harley.

"Jay hasn't told me otherwise honey." Jason gestured to the messy bed.

“Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat awkwardly, still looking anywhere other than Harleys towel clad form.

“Don’t worry about it, you just let me get ready and I’ll show you who’s who and what’s what.” She smiled sweetly and disappeared back into the bathroom. Jason felt like he should be annoyed by her treatment of him, as though he couldn’t handle himself but he didn’t. It felt kind. And loving. Somebody actually gave a damn about what he was doing with his life, and wasn’t that just the strangest thing. Back when Jason had gone to school (he’d long since dropped out) most of the teachers had looked down on  his faded belongings, his lack of equipment and his scuffed shoes and decided that he was already doomed. And Jason had believed them too.

 

* * *

 

 “This is where you’ll be sleeping.” The boy Harley had appointed, Roy she’d called him, the older boy who’d been at the door when Tim opened it, gestured to a small single bed. It was in an underground room full of about 20 other beds all lined up next to each other with a slight gap between them. The air felt thicker down here, Jason realized, but not quite suffocating. There was something to be said for the way all the boys in the room were comfortable enough around each other. They all moved with ease and recognition and Jason reflected for a second on how clever the Joker had been to forge his ‘army’ from the roots of Gotham’s starving children, the parts of Gotham that needed leadership the most.

“Breakfast is at 8, lunch is at 1 and dinners at 6 in the main room. You’ll be given a list of tasks to complete in the morning after breakfast, once you have those done you can do whatever you want, providing you’re back by curfew at 10. Everybody is to be back by 10 unless otherwise instructed by the boss himself.” Jason thought Roy rather sounded like a boy scout who had memorized the whole handbook and gave this speech daily to new recruits.

He'd informed Jason that there was about 40 boys and around 17 girls.

“The bathroom is the room we passed before this one.” He paused for a second and then looked Jason up and down. “When you can, stay clear of The Jokers men. If they ask you something, you answer it. Otherwise don’t talk to them and definitely don’t annoy them.” He paused again, hesitant to continue Jason realized.

“What?” Jason frowned at him. Roy looked around at the boys who were chatting loudly, pulling boots on and pulling sweaty shirts off.

“If they come to you asking for anything that isn’t a task, you tell them to get lost.” He said looking at Jason intently. Jason flushed and closed his eyes, willing himself not to think of the thoughts that those words dragged to the surface.

“You understand Jason?” He asked kindly. Jason nodded and Roy clapped him on the shoulder. Jason was oddly touched that Roy had thought to forewarn him, although the topic was morbid, this whole day seemed to be riddled with people who barely knew looking out for him as if he were one of their own.

“You just let me know if you need anything Jason.” He strolled off and although Jason thought he had a smug sense of superiority, he decided that it suited Roy. Jason remembered Roy somewhat vaguely in the years before, he’d heard of how he and his friend who he called his brother, Tim had been together since the very start of his life on the streets. No one really knew where Tim had come from or how he managed to attach himself to Roy’s hip. But he had, and so the two had done everything together, most notoriously Tim was a cute child who was clever enough to be a distraction while Roy carried out whatever they had planned to steal that day.

Jason thought this life suited them better though. Where Roy could fully become the bossy leader inside him and Tim could lead a life outside daily starvation and homelessness.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t understand it though.” Jason informed Artemis, the girl he’d met in the main room and had taken to in an instant. “Why does he need _us_ specifically?” He asked her. She swallowed her soup and turned to him thoughtfully.

“I don’t know. He just, he gives us these packages to take to these places all over Gotham-”

“Shady places?” Artemis nodded impatiently

“Yes obviously. Anyway, they take them and then we have to wait for these stupid envelopes. It’s a piss take. Once I waited 2 hours for that damn envelope.”

“Envelopes? What’s in them?” He questioned insistently, stirring his soup. It wasn’t anything exquisite but from eating maybe one full meal a day that was usually stale or from the rubbish, it was delightful. Jason hadn’t touched much though. He felt that his appetite was still gone.

“I don’t know. We’re not allowed to open them. We bring them back here and give it to one of them.”

“Oh come on, you’ve never been curious?” She looked at him sharply.

“Of course I am. But I’m not an idiot Jason. Who do you think you’re working for? The fucking Care Bears?” She said crassly. “This is the Joker.” Then quietly. “You’ve seen what he’s capable of.” Jason scoffed at her.

“Yeah he’s crazy.” He said with false bravado and was met once again with a sharp look from Artemis.

“If you really think that you’re even more stupid than I thought. You’ve seen the things he’s done. Come on, you don’t think it’s clever what he’s doing with everyone here?” She gestured to all the boys and girls who were wolfing down food and Jason was hit again with the realization of how dependent these kids had become on something the Joker had given them. It sickened him for a second to think that the Joker was doing more for the lost children of Gotham than the people of Gotham even were.

“So why does he do it then. What are we here for?” He asked, feeling stupid for trying to act tough in front of Artemis, even though Jason had known her for only a few hours, he got the distinct feeling that she wasn’t somebody to be trifled with.

Artemis shrugged.

“I don’t know. But we’re here for a reason Jason, don’t forget that.”

“You’re making it sound morbid.” Artemis smiled briefly.

“It’s not. It’s better than anything I’ve ever had on my own. He feeds us, we get to come and go as we please and the only price is what? Some of us dig through the underground tunnels for him and some of us play post office?  Small price to pay for a warm bed and 3 meals a day. I’ve done more for less.” She didn’t sound self-pitying. She sounded sure of herself, as if she knew this was the best she was going to get. Artemis struck up a conversation with the boy opposite them then and Jason was left to his own thoughts.

Which happened to wonder to the Joker

He searched around the room looking for him when he caught sight of a cluster of the Jokers men. Some of them still had those disturbing masks on although most had taken them off to eat. One man looked up and leered at a boy a few tables away from Jason. He remembered Roy’s warning from earlier and pushed his soup away queasily.

“Are you going to have that?” The boy across him asked meekly. He was a small boy, maybe 11 and was eyeing Jason’s food with interest. Jason pushed the plate to him and he nodded his thanks before sharing it with the girl beside him.

“Am I allowed to leave Artemis?” He asked her. She raised her eyebrows.

“Didn’t think you were so eager to get back on the streets.”

“No I mean here, am I allowed to leave for a bit?” She nodded.

“Just be back by 10. All 3 entrances will be shut off at 10 so there’s no way you’ll be allowed to get back in.” He nodded and left. When he was halfway out of the door, he turned his head to the side and saw the Joker strolling around the room, eyes on Jason’s retreating form.

 

* * *

 

 

Jason sat on the roof of the building. Admittedly not the best idea given that it was at least 60 years old and most likely liable to collapse at any point. But still, it gave him space to think. He hadn’t been in a room full of so many people like that in a very long time. But it was warm and homely and he felt oddly lonely on the roof by himself. Jason had been sitting on rooftops to look out into the night sky for as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t remember feeling so melancholic when he did it.

He supposed now that he had a taste of companionship he was hungry for more.

He heard a presence behind him.

“You didn’t eat.”  
  
“I’m flattered you noticed.” He snapped at the Joker, feeling sullen and moody.  
  
“Oh there is _so much_ rage in you.” He tapped his finger against Jason’s cheek twice. “I’ll make a soldier out of you.” Jason batted his fingers away.

“Fuck off, I don’t want to be your solider.”  
  
“Nobody ever wants to be a solider, but look around; we live in a world full of them.” In that tone that reminded you exactly who you were talking to.  
  
“Thanks Dumbledore.” He said dryly and the Joker laughed, a full proper laugh and Jason grinned too in spite of himself. There was a slight pause.

“You _ah,_ like my cozy little nest back there hmm?” He drawled.

“It has its appeal I guess.” He said, nonchalantly. Neither of them seemed to know what to say to each other and the Joker contented himself with smacking his hands against his cheeks alternately to fill the silence.

“Come on then, hit me with it. Why am I here?”

“I assume because you like to sit on rooftops.” Jason looked at the Joker sideways unimpressed.

“You are here because you have nothing else.” He said simply and Jason frowned at how much that seemed to sting. He KNEW he had nothing else but it shouldn’t hurt so much to hear it out loud.

“Yes. I guess that’s true. But why are _you_ doing this.” The Joker grinned.

“Why does anybody do anything in this life?” He asked Jason innocently and Jason huffed.

“For fucks sake, fine. I don’t need to know your master plan anyway. If you ever think about ditching that purple coat and makeup, you could be a decent poet; the kind people overanalyze and cry over.” He said dryly and the Joker chuckled making Jason feel proud once again.

And that really needed to stop because making the Joker feel good shouldn’t be a goal of anyone’s. Unless you were Harley maybe.

“To feel something.”

Jason wondered what the hell that meant.

“What?” He said. But the Joker had turned away and obviously wasn’t about to explain it. He sauntered towards the door he’d taken to get to the rooftop and wrenched it open.

“Curfew ends in 10 minutes Jason.” He rasped.

The Joker paused with one foot on the step spiraling downwards.

“Jaaaaaaaason?” He rang out in that annoying sing song voice again. Jason closed his eyes, willing himself to be patient.

“Yeah?”  
  
“ _Don’t skip meals again._ ”

The warm moment they had shared was over, the dark tone of the Joker wasn’t asking, he was commanding and Jason really did feel like his solider. And it wasn’t all that bad a feeling. Jason thinks that if he knew what family felt like, it might have felt similar to that moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not sure how I feel about this chapter. I have some general semblance of a plot but eh I'm mostly just improvising it and writing whatever comes to mind so. I hope its decent. Im also completely overwhelmed by how much support and kind comments I've had! Thanks to you all :)


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